Overhead-track suspension means and load-carriage



w.' A.' BRowNLEE.

OVERHEAD TRACK SUSPENSION MEANS AND LOAD CARRIAGE;

APPLIcATIoN man fzs. 1o, 192x. 1,391,993. .Ptelltdselt' 27,1921.

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W. A. BROWNLEE. OVERHEAD TRACK susPENsloN MEANS AND LOAD CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED 1:58.10, 1921.

Patented Sept. 27, 1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.v

WILSON A, BROWNLEE, or QUATHIASKI COVE, BRITISHk coLUivrBraloANAnA. i

'OVERHEAD-TRACK SUSPENSION MEANS' AND LOAD-CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented `Sept Application led February 10, 1921. Serial No. 443,966.

To all whom t may concern.'

'Be it knownl that I, WILSON A. BROWN- LEE, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Quathi'aski Cove, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented certain new land useful Improvements in Overhead Track Y Suspension Means and Load-Carriages, of which the following is aspeciication.

This invention relates to a means for suspending a wire rope track line from its supports, and to a load carriage designed to pass such suspendingV means.

" In all devices of this character with which I am. acquaintedthe track rope is suspended from one side only, and the load carriage in order to pass Such suspending means is connected to its track sheaves from the opposite side. v This 'necessitates an exceptionally heavy suspension means for the track rope, and acorrespondingly heavy means for connecting the carriage to its track sheaves.'

Inthe device, which is the subject of this application, the track rope suspending means is in the vertical plane of the track rope, and means is providedtor` conducting the track sheaves 'past such medial suspensiong'and the load carriage is connected to its` tracksheaves from opposite sides, with `provision'releasing ,the sheaves of one side fromwthose of the other side that they pass on each side ofthemedial suspension means of the track rope." v

The invention is' fully described in the following specification, reference being `made tto the drawings. by whichv it is accompanied, in which: 1 Figurer 1 is aside elevation ofthe load Acarriage on `the track rope.`

Fig.12 is an end elevation yof the same.k Fig.'f3 is a side elevation of the track rope suspending means.

f Fig. 4, a ksectional plan ofthe same on the `line 4--4 ingFig 3.-

F ig. 5 is a-sectionalend elevation Lof the track rope suspending means with the load carriage on the .track rope, rthe suspending meansof the track rope being a section on the-'line- 5.-`5 kin zFig. 4, and the carriage a ySection on the line 5--5 in Fig.- 1*; the track sheaves of the carriage have not been reileased to laterally extend and clear the suspension means .of the track rope.

Fig. `6 isa section of .the track ro e sus- ,pension means on the line Gf-6 1n 1g, 1,

showing the track sheaves 'of the carriage f released and extended to pass the suspension means of the'track rope. v

In these drawings 2 represents the track rope whichis suspendedffroml suitable sup* f ports. infa manner to be described later. The load carriage is supported fromthis track rope 2 on four'l roller. sheaves., 3 and 4, the axle lpins of which project laterally from rods 5 and V6 whichvsuspend the carriage, the rods 5 passing down oneside of the .track rope, while those 6 pass down the oppositeside. n. The rods 5 and 6 ofeach pair are main tained kupright and at the required distance apart by plates land l1 secured to them bly clamps 12. n From the uplate* connection t ese rods ofeach'side are turnedftoward one another'andare pin-connectedLat 13 to a yoke 14 from'whichthe yload maybe su'sfl pended.

The rollers 3 and 4 are cylindrical andare grooved adjacent their supporting` rods, `the cylindrical portion yextending from r`the groove to beyond th'e suppo'rting .rodson the other side of `.the track rope,"the reason for which will beexplainedlaten and on each supporting rod 5.and 6 adjacent the roller sheaves 3 rand 4 are `mounted rollers 73,11d8. 'f y The upper ends of the rods whichcarry `theroller sheaves ',3 and-4 are thusk freefto move apartl .and from the 'trackrope',2, pivoting on the pins`13 which lconnect them to the yoke .14.,l They are ynormally .retained together, with 'theirf grooves inthel planeyot the track rope, by `al latchV member 15 pivot- .ally ymounted at 16 to one o-.theplates 11 and notchedtole'ngage the edge of theother plate 10 through Van aperture infwhichit passes. tends beyond the plate 10` fora reasontobe explainedlater. f f iv The track. rope2y isqsuspended Ifrom supports at the requiredintervals apart Onsuspension rods 18,. being. clamped by the bifurcated ends 20 of the rod 18 to an ovate track plate 21, the ends of which are-pointed to convergeL to the line of the track rope 2. Thegedges of. this track platelare downyw'ardly flanged, as shown in Fig. 6,-with a raised ridge `at the bend of the flange. This raised ridge is q designed to vreceive, the

grooves of the rollersvr 3 and4- and carry the rollers; laterally apart around .the connec ,een .of a to the .Semestre-120@ la l Theend of the latch member 15 ex- Before the rollers 3 and 4 can move laterally apart to follow the edges of the track plate 21, the latch 15 requires to be lifted to release the plates 10 and 11 from one another.

This is attained by a release bar22 carried along one side of the track plate on stirrup straps 23 secured across an ovate plate 19 suitably carried on the suspension rods 18 above the track plate 21. Thisrelease bar extends beyond the ends of the track plate 2 and at each end is turned down as at 26 to engage and lift the latch lever 15, and set the rods 5 and' free to move apart and allow the rollers 3 and 4 to follow the edge ridge of the track plate 21. At the other end of the track plate, when the rollers have been brought together on the line ofthe track 2, the latch lever 15 will lower as it leaves the bar 22 and will again retain the rods 5 and 6 in their normal vertical position with their grooves in the `line of the track rope.

The straps 23 carry guard plates 24 on each side, which guardl plates are produced beyond each end of the track plate and are connected together by stirrups 25.v

In use, the sheaves 3 and 4 will, while running on the track rope 2 between its places of suspension, be retained with their grooves in alinement with one another, and the carriage being supported on both sides from the sheaves cannot jump thetrack,

As the carriage approaches a place of suspension, and after it enters between the guard strips24, the end of the latch -lever 15 will engage the release bar 22 and will be lifted to free the side plate 10 of the carriage from the notch in the latch lever. The track wheels 3 and 4 will then bey free 'to move laterally apart followingthe oppounder gravity and the action of its spring 17, and will again secure the track sheaves 3 and 4 with their grooves in alinement with the track rope 2 before the carriage leaves the protection of the guard strips24.

' Having now particularly described my invention, I hereby declare that what I claim as new and desireto be protected in by Letters Patent, is: l f

1. In an overhead wire rope system, the combination with the track rope, track plates secured to the track rope at the-required intervals apart, the edges or" each of which plates form tracks around each side from and to the line of the track rope, a suspension rod secured to the middle of each track plate from the overhead supports, sheaves groovedtot the track -rope, a carriage suspended from opposite sides of adjacent sheaves, means fory retaining the sheaves together with their grooves in alinement with the track rope, means coperative with the approach of the carriage to the suspension track plate for releasing the track sheaves from their retaining means and permitting them toi move apart around the opposite sides of thetrack plate, and means after leaving the track plate for again connecting the sheaves of each side together.

v2. In an overhead wire rope system, the

combination with the track rope, track plates secured to the track rope at the required I intervals apart, the edges of each of which plates Vform tracks around each side from and to the line of thetrack rope, a suspension rod secured to the middle of each track plate 'from the overhead supports, sheaves grooved to tit the track rope, a carriage suspended from opposite sides of adjacent sheaves, means for retaining the sheaves together with their grooves in alinement withthe track rope, means cooperativey with the approach of the carriage to the suspension track plate forreleasingthe vtrack sheaves from theirretaining means andpermittmg themv to move apartV around the yopposite sides of the track plate, means-after leaving l' the track plate for again connecting the 'sheaves ont each side together, and means preventing the track sheaves from leaving the track while plate. i i n v. a

3. In an overhead wire rope system, kthe combination with a .track rope, suspension rods secured at intervals apart to `suitable overheadl supports, a trackrplate secured `to each suspension rod 'and to the track ro the edges of which plate are downwar y flanged and upwardly turned at the bend of the flange tovleave 'a raised trackffromy the trackrope at each end around each side of passing around the track .A

the suspension rod, track sheaves grooved to 'Pf ffitthe track rope,`carriage -side framessuspended from opposite sides of adjacent sheaves, a load bearing yoke pivotally connected to thelower part of each sideframe,

a latch lever pivotally mounted on one side frame and produced -through an aperture in theother, ksaid lever notched to engage the edge of the aperture throughwhich it passes, means 'connect-ed tothe track late forfefectingrelease of the latch where lythe sheaves 'z I maysepazrate'andpass around the edges of the track plate past the suspension rod.

4. In an overhead wire rope system, means for-suspending the track rpe from yits supports, said means comprismg the combination with the track rope, of a suspension rod from a suitable: overhead support, a track plate secured kto the'suspension rod and to the track rope,the edges of Whichtrack plate have an upwardly'projecting ridge formingV `a track from the trackrope around each side of thesuspension rod, and means connected o to the track plate suspension for releasing the side frame of a carriage movable on the track whereby the sheaves of each side of that carriage are free t0 move laterally apart and pass around the opposite edges of the track plate past the suspension means.

5. In an overhead Wire rope system, means for suspending the track 'rope from its supports, said means comprising the combination with the track rope, of a suspension rod from a suitable overhead support, a track plate secured to the suspension rod and to the track rope, the edges of which track plate are downwardly flanged with an upwardly projecting ridge at` the bend of the flange forming a track from the track rope around each side of the Suspension rod, guard strips spaced apart from thetrack rope and around the tack plate on each side, which guard strips are supported from the track plate suspension, and means connected to the guard strip on one side for effecting release of the side frames of a carriage whereby the sheaves of that carriage are free to move apart and pass around the track plate.

6. In an overhead track lwherein the track rope is medially suspended from overhead supports with provision permitting the carriage to pass around each side of the suspending means, grooved sheaves adapted to run on the track rope, a side frame suspended on each side of the rope 'from the axles of separate sheaves, a load bearing yoke pivotally connected to the side frames, means for securing the side frames together with the grooves of their sheaves in alinement with the track rope, and means on the track rope suspension for effecting release of the frame securing means and permitting the sheaves of each side frame to pass around the opposite sides of the track rope suspension.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

WILSON A. BROWNLEE. 

